"Nyssa—“
"Nadir," she confirmed in a tone that should have meant the discussion of it was over. "I will meet you on the beach tonight. We can talk about it then."
Nyssa's muscles were on edge from the anxiety of what she was about to do.
The guard at the door was the one that liked her. She hoped he would stand simply as the sentry he was and not bother checking in. She had to take the chance. She had to see Nadir and tell him everything.
She slipped beneath the loose floorboard her eagle had used, having to crouch to her stomach and shimmy her way on the sand to get out. Only able to use one arm, it was more difficult than she anticipated, but she gritted her teeth and pushed forward, using her legs to help move her as well. Sand crept in every place it shouldn't have. She ignored it. Once she was out, she pulled her hood up over her head and bolted into the shadows of the surf.
Darkness engulfed her. She wasn't sure where Nadir was or if she'd even be able to see him. Her eagle called out overhead.
A hand clapped over her mouth.
She threw her elbow back, about to stomp on his feet—
“It’s me!”
Nadir.
Her struggles stopped, and for a moment, she simply sank into his arms. Her heart nearly exploded with the safety of him around her again.
Lightning cracked over the ocean when she turned. He reached for her cheek and whispered, "Evermore," apparently having known she would need confirmation that it was him.
Her shoulders caved at the words, and he squeezed her hand.
"Come on," he whispered.
He led her not far east down the beach where the elevation began to grow, creating steep drops down the side of the terrain. It was a short section of the land she'd never seen before, but the faint moons light reflected off it, and she noticed the great rocks in the ocean.
"Mouth of the Sea," Nadir explained. "The rocks look like teeth."
"Where are we go—“
Shadows fell on a cut in the cliffside, and she saw a faint orange light coming from inside it. A small crevice, not a whole cave, she realized. He already had a small fire going inside, and she noticed a blanket, bag of food, and canteen. The blanket was mussed as though someone had recently been using it.
"Is someone sleeping here?" she asked.
“I am,” Nadir answered as he let go of her hand.
"What—why?"
"Just a few nights," he assured her. "Once I found you, I knew I wanted somewhere close in case you needed to run. I was going to tell you about it today... But then you said they're moving you, and..." His voice trailed, along with his gaze.
Rain began to pour outside.
“What was so important you couldn’t tell me at the market?” he asked.
Nyssa shifted her weight, pulling for the steadiness she knew she needed to get the next words out. “I need you to do something for me.”
“Anything.”
“I need you… I need you to tell Lex I’m sorry. I’m sorry for not being who she needed me to be. I’m sorry for being the brat she was forced to look after. Tell her she’s truly free. And tell my brother—”
“Why do you sound as though you’re dying?” he cut in.
“Because I don’t know that I’ll make it out of here alive,” she admitted. “They're moving me at sunrise to the new fortress. The Prince is supposed to be here in a week. I don't know when I'll be able to take my plan into motion. And I don’t know if I’ll make it out of that void alive when I do.”
“Yes, you will.”
